Fur-shearing machine



F. W. HORSTMANN FUR SHEARING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1925 o I r J} INIfENTOR. W 170K3MANN Y ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

FREDERICK \V. EIORSTMANN, OF MAFLEVYOOD, NEW JERSEY.

FUR-SHEARING ItIACI-IINE.

Application filcd June 22,

Serial No. 355 832.

This invention relates to fur-shearing Ina-0f apparatus and in order to secure the dcchines and more partiularly to a novel and improved device adapted for cutting or shearing fur extremely close and also uniform as the skin is advanced or drawn by the cutting mechanism.

Various types of mcchanisms,'more or less complicated, have been employed for presenting skins bearing fur of non-uniform depth to shearing mechanism for the purpose of obtaining skins having a uniformly deep coat of fur thereon. In addition. the e machines are designed to secure afairly close out of the fur.

In one of the most commonly utilized machines employed for the above purposes, a plurality of rotary shearing; knives operate in close proximity to a bed knife. In such machines it has been the practice to employ a relativelylarge diameter roller or other curved bar for presenting the fr to the cutting knives. In conjunction with the shearing knives a suction device is employed. The function of the suction devce is to r move the sheared fur from the mechanism, although with certain kinds of s ins the suction device also assists in bri nc the fur in proper position for shearing. These machines have not proven entirely satisfac tory for the reason it is not possible to prop erly present the fur to the cutting devices so as to obtain an extremely close cut. The

reason why this result is not obtainable may be attributed to the relatively large cur ed surface of the apron or stretcher bar. Such surface does not permit one to bring the skins closely enough to the cutters to secure a close cut because there is insutlicient clearance between the roller and the knives. Furthe more, with a large curved surface it is not possible to present the fur instantly and quickly to the cutting mechanism since the for which extends at right angles to the surface of the skin must necessarily assume various angular relations with respect to the cutters as the skin is drawn over the stretcher bar.

Vhatever the reason may be, the fact remains that the machines most commonly inployed for shearing fur have not proven entirely satisfactory for the purpose of securing an extremely close as well as a uniform cutting of the fur.

In order to overcome the foregoing dithculties encountered in using the present types sirable extremely close cut, I have provided a stretcher bar over which the skins may be drawn it is passed by the cutters, said bar being so designed as to enable one to bring the skins as close to the cutters as is desirable in order to obtain the extremely close out and yet permit sutlicient clearance between the her and the cutters so as to prevent any interference between the same. More specifically this is accoi'nplished by providina a stretcher bar or apron which has a llattehcd wedge or angular edge over which the skin is drawn as it passes the cutters. lVith such a construction it is possible to bring the skin close to the cutters as is desirable withoutany dancer of the stretcher bar contacting with he knives before the cutting is done. Furthermore, the fur is caused to advance to a position immediately djacent the cutting knives and yet not be engaged thereby until the instant the fur is drawn about the share or flat edge of the bar. The result is an iristantand proper presentation of the fur to the ea ing knives whereby certain inherent characteristics peculiar to skins may be brought out to a much greater extent than heretofore. I

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a stretcher bar or apron for a fur shearing machine which is capable of roperly presenting the fur to the cutters so as to obtain an extremely close cut as well as a uniform cut of the fur.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a fur shearing machine which may be operated to produce a very close cut of the fur which is of uniform depth throughout.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine for trimming fur which will develop, HOUQll extremely close and uniform cu ting of the fur, the peculiar desirable characteristics which may be inherent therein. D

Other objects of the invention will be apt arentas the description is read.

In order to more fully understand and ppreciate my invention refer nce may be the accompanying drawings showingpreferred embodiment thereof, wherein isrn e l is an end view, partly in section,v

the rotary cutters in their relation ed knife.

2 is a front view.

0 is an enlarged, sectional View action of the knives.

showing the relation of the stretcher bar or apron to the knife edge, the bed knife and rotary knives.

Referring now to the drawings, 5 designates generally the conventional type of frame or stand on which may be mounted a motor 6 for driving the rotary knives 7, saic knives being mounted on the horizontal shaft 8 and operable by means of a endless belt 9. The rotary knives are enclosed within a housing or casing and protected by a hinged cover or guard 10, there being a rear opening 11 for connection to an exhaust fan or blower, not shown. A bracket 12 supported on the stand or frame and secured thereto by suitable bolts has attached thereto an angularly disposed, upwardly extending, bed knife .13. lhe bed knife riay be adjusted to different degrees with relation to the rotary knives 7, this portion of the machine or mechanism being old and well-known in the art.

My invention proper consists in mounting a pivoted frame to the front of the stand or support and comprises a. horizontal shaft 14;, supported in suitable bearings 15 at the front of the frame. On the said shaft, I provide a pair of vertical, parallel members 16, 17, to which are connected, preferably at right angles thereto, a buffer 18 secured to the n'iembers 16, 17, by the angular brace bars 20. An adjusting screw 21 attached to the front of the frame limits the inward movement of the members 16, 1. and the buffer 18 in one direction and a pair of bars 2-2 attached to the frame at one end and slotted as indicated by numeral 23, are suitably connected to the members 16, 17, so as to limit the movement thereof outwardly or in the opposite direction. I

Adjustably connected to the upper ends of the members 16, 17, are a pair of angularly bent arms 24, which are slotted as at 25 to permit of the vertical adjustment thereof. The arms 24 carry and support a horizontal, flat, stretcher bar or apron 26 to which the skin or fur is held or drawn as the said skin is presented to the cutting Referring in particu lar to Figure 3, it will be observed that the inner, front edge 27 of the bar or apron is provided with an attenuated knife edge, presenting a small or restricted cross sectional surface through which the skin may pass so that the hairs drawn in between the bed knife 13 and the rotary knives 7 may be properly presented to the shearing action of the said knives and thus produce an even, regular out. It will be readily appreciated that if a roller were used instead of the bar or apron at this point, that certain of the hairs of the fur skins would lie tangential to such roller and consequently, as the skin is pulled or drawn thereover, the same cutting action could not be effected as in the manner shown. By using a flat bar or apron of this type, I am enabled to adjust the cutting action to produce very close, regular and even work and obtain finer adjustments of the flat bar relative to the cutting edges of the knives when they wear. he slotted ends of the arms 2% permit of the vertical adjustment of the stretcher bar V or apron 26 whereas the set screws 21 linnt the inward position of the stretcher bar or apron relative to bed knife and the rotary knives as shown by Figure 1 of the drawings.

in actual operation, when the frame, consisting of the members 16, 17, is held in its extreme outer position by the guides 22, the fur or skin is positioned over the edge of the stretcher bar or apron. As the buffer 18 is engaged by the person, the stretcher bar or apron, carrying the skin is advanced toward the knives and as the fur or skin is drawn over the edge 27 of the stretcher bar or apron, the hair of the furs is cut evenly and regularly, producing the desired even work.

While' I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be mace. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent In a fur trimming machine, the combina tion with a stand having a bed knife and rotary knives cooperating therewith, a frame pivotally mounted on said stand, arms carried at the upper end of said frame, a fiat stretcher bar or apron formed with said arms, means for moving said stretcher bar in an approximately horizontal plane toward the rotary knives and in proximity to the bed knife and means for limiting the inner and outer movements of said frame and stretcher bar.

Intestimony whereof I aiiir; my signature.

FREDERI 1K .V. HORSTMANN. [L. s] 

